


The High King, the Duchess, and the Secret

by TastyAsItGets



Series: The Secret Chronicles of Narnia [1]
Category: Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Adultery, F/M, Golden Age (Narnia), Love Triangle, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-04-05
Updated: 2011-04-06
Packaged: 2017-10-17 15:29:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/178303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TastyAsItGets/pseuds/TastyAsItGets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Four weren't sent back to England at the end of the Golden Age arbitrarily. They had saved Narnia — but this time Narnia had to be saved FROM them. It all starts when King Lune concocts a marriage alliance scheme for Prince Rabadash....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. King Lune's Request

_It lay in the closed drawer of her dresser. She eyed the handle uncertainly. Her hand hovered over the spot, shaking slightly._

 _Could she do this?_

 _She looked up and found herself staring at her own scared face in the mirror. Her brown eyes were tired. Lack of sleep. What her husband's damned advisor wanted to her to do was impossible._

 _But if she didn't—"As soon as I tell him, he'll throw you out," the advisor's cruel voice replayed in her mind. "You_ and _that bastard baby will be helpless, and no decent being will look at you. You'll be outcasts in a foreign country. No one will ever take you in. As for your...'lover'..."_

 _She'd heard too much. "I'll do anything, as long as you promise that the baby—?"_

 _"The baby will be safe, provided you cooperate. I will never tell your husband it's not his. A great man like him doesn't deserve the dishonour. "_

 _"What do you want me to do? I can go to my father in the south; he'd surely take me in—"_

 _"No, no, no," he smiled malevolently. "That's not good enough."_

 _"Then what?" she asked, exasperated. She hated the power he held over her at this moment. He'd never liked her, and vice versa._

 _"I have access to an herb," he said. "It's been called Marrina Felcar."_

 _The blood drained from her face._

 _"You've heard of it, I take it."_

 _She had._

 _And now she was alone in her bedchamber, trying to gather the courage to do what she knew she must, for the sake of her child and her husband. Better she kill herself than he know that she'd loved...another...so passionately...for so long._

 _Neither her child nor her husband deserved to know the truth. They wouldn't—couldn't—understand the pain she'd bourn, being close to—but not having—the man whom she'd loved forever. The short time with her lover had been worth any punishment to her, but as for her daughter and innocent, loving husband..._

 _"Crush the leaf..." he had said._

 _She took the leaves into her palm. She balled her fingers into a fist. The leaves crackled._

 _"Drop it all into the glass. The more you put, the faster it will go."_

 _It was as if he was in the room with her, speaking the instructions as she went._

 _"Then drink it. Drink it all."_

 _She looked down at the glass, unmoving. She closed her eyes, reminding herself whom she was doing this for. For her husband. For her lover. And for the baby._

 _She raised the goblet to her lips. She swallowed the wine. Surprisingly, it tasted normal; the leaves had disintegrated._

 _She paused, curious about how it would feel to die. Even at this time, there was a certain irony. She'd always wondered what this moment would be like._

 _She felt nothing._

 _She downed the rest of the glass and looked at herself in the mirror. Curious. Wasn't death supposed to hurt?_

 _Suddenly, the goblet crashed from her hands. There was no pain, only numb darkness as her already-dead body fell to the floor._

 _A baby's wail could be heard in the next room, crying out for a mother it would never know.  
_

* * *

This is a tale that begins during the eleventh year of the Golden Age of Narnia, when all was well in the land of the North. The last remnants of the White Witch's army had been stamped out, the Giants had been beaten back across the border, and all was generally peaceful under the guidance of High King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy.

Our story begins when King Lune of Archenland sent his son Prince Corin north to meet the Four at the same time that Prince Rabadash of Calormen was also to make his first—and only—visit to Narnia. King Lune placed his son under the guardianship of Lady Saedra, a Duchess of Archenland, with the hope that his reluctant son would see the glory of being King by being around King Peter and King Edmund.

But there was also a secret scheme that only King Lune and Lady Saedra knew about, a scheme that would secure the tenuous peace of Archenland for good…

* * *

"Duchess!"

A woman sat on the deck of a ship, reading a novel. At the sound of the exclamation, she looked up from her book to see an excited boy bounding across the long deck towards her. His messy blonde hair framed a face brimming with exhilaration. His royal clothes were dirty, as the clothes of curious children tend to be.

"What is it, Prince?" the woman asked, closing the novel. The boy was often excited about the smallest of things, so no alarm or strong interest could be found in her voice.

"Can you not see, my Lady?" the Prince replied, hopping up and down. "We've reached Narnia!"

The Lady quickly stood up, put the book down on the barrel she had been sitting on, and walked over to the port side of the ship.

"Does it look the same as you remember it?" he asked.

"It's only been ten years, my dear Corin," she smiled, looking out at the rolling hills of Narnia that had become visible as she was reading. "Places like Narnia don't change in ten years."

"How long until we reach Cair Paravel?" the boy, Corin, asked.

"Oh, an hour perhaps," she replied, eying his dirty appearance and her own plain dress. "Perhaps we should start preparing ourselves for meeting the Four, hm?"

Corin grimaced.

She smirked at his expression. The thought of squeezing herself into a tight dress that would bring excessive attention to her lady-parts didn't appeal to her any more than the thought of cleaning up appealed to him.

"My thoughts exactly. We can wait a bit."

The Prince grinned. "You know, I'm terribly glad it was you that Father picked to watch me for this journey. If it had been any other Lady, she'd order me scrubbed from head to toe!"

"Faugh! I doubt that!"

"I'm serious! You don't know the women in Court, Lady Saedra. They're a lot stuffier than you people on the coast."

The woman, Saedra, shook her head. "You underestimate the people from the coast, my Prince. My nanny turned her hair grey trying to turn me into a proper Lady! I daresay she only half succeeded, for my father spoiled me terribly."

"I wish my father would spoil me," Corin pouted, looking back at the coast of Narnia.

Saedra studied him for a moment, trying to see if the Prince was trying to make a joke. She had considered herself horribly spoiled by her lenient father, but Corin's father, King Lune, spoiled him far worse.

Saedra bit her lip and said stoically, "I know of no other boy in Archenland who owns a pony, my Prince."

He looked at her with a revolted look. "A pony! For a boy of my age? I've had that pitiful creature since I was seven! For all I care, Father can give it away to whomever he likes. I want a real horse, a man's horse. Surely you had a horse by the time you were my age!"

Saedra tilted her head and thought. Had she had a horse at his age?

"Yes, I did," she admitted. Being spoiled was probably the only advantage to being an only child _and_ motherless, something she and Corin both now had in common. Saedra's mother had died shortly after giving birth to her, and Corin's mother had died only a month before they had left Archenland.

"See!"

" _But,_ I wasn't promised my own suit of armour for my birthday," she reminded him, raising her eyebrows and tilting her chin down.

He pursed his lips, considering that thought fully.

Finally, he said decisively, "I'd rather have a horse."

"Maybe you'll get one for your next birthday too," Saedra chuckled, and then suddenly looked around in alarm. "By the Lion, are we there already?"

More and more sailors were coming out onto deck, and land looked closer than ever. The first mate locked eyes with Saedra and walked over. "My Lady, we will be docked at Cair Paravel in fifteen minutes."

She gave a cry of alarm and turned to Corin. "Prince, you run into your cabin and wash yourself thoroughly, you hear me? Then find the nice clothes that you set aside and put them on."

Corin nodded and started jogging towards his cabin.

"Oh, and make sure you wash your face and comb your hair!" Saedra called after him. She turned back to the first mate. "I'll be in my cabin as well if you need anything."

"Of course, my Lady," he bowed.

Saedra heeled around and speed-walked to her cabin. Once inside the cool, dark room, she stopped and looked around frantically. She didn't know where to start!

"The mirror!" she said aloud, and ran to the full-length mirror bolted to one wall. She peered into it, her eyes still adjusting to the darkness. As she stood there, staring into her own wide brown eyes, she realized how fast her heart was pumping.

She was nervous.

 _There's nothing to be nervous about!_ she thought to herself, turning her face every which way. She raked her fingers through her long brown hair, wincing as she hit knots.

 _I'm not nervous. I'm just excited._

She grabbed her brush from the vanity and started brushing furiously. When she realized how violent she was being, she stopped and stared at herself again.

"You _are_ nervous, you fool! You haven't seen the Four in ten years, since we were children! And now, under these circumstances..."

She licked her lips and put the brush away. She went to the trunk and fished through it, trying to find her nice dress that she had put away for meeting the Four...and Him. Prince Rabadash.

She stood up and wiped her brow.

 _Prince Rabadash: The man that King Lune wants me to marry._

It had seemed so simple back in Archenland when Lune had made the proposition to her. He had written to her, telling her how Prince Rabadash of Calormen was going up to meet the Four at Cair Paravel, and that word was he was looking for a wife. Wouldn't it be nice if Saedra were to happen to make the Prince fall madly in love with her? It would solve so many problems between Calormen and Archenland...

Saedra shook her head of these thoughts. _I shouldn't have said yes._

She picked up the special dress, walked over to the mirror, and held it up in front of her.

She didn't flatter herself that Lune asked her this because she was especially enchanting; it was simply her high rank. She was the most eligible woman in the country, as all the other women above her were dead or married.

 _Father would have talked me out of it and saved me the trouble...if he was still here..._

He wasn't. Her father, Duke Dane of Harden, had been dead the past six years. He had left his only child, a girl, a seventeen-year-old Saedra, a dukedom to manage all by herself. Now twenty-three, Saedra had fought her way into being generally respected as a person, though she wasn't "nearly as good as a man," as some liked to say.

Saedra brushed thoughts of her father out of her mind and started changing into her nice dress.

 _I wonder what the Four are like now. Will they be offended if they find out the real reason we've come up to Narnia?_

The truth was that she wasn't doing this just for Lune; she was doing it for her province. Ten years before, the province of Harden had been devastatingly pillaged by Calormene pirates. The Tisroc afterwards claimed ignorance, but did nothing to stop it. Now that Saedra was in power, she would do anything to make sure it never happened again.

 _It's my responsibility to protect my people, and if marrying Rabadash is the way to do it, so be it._

The last time she had seen the rulers of Narnia, they had all been children. High King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy had recently deposed the White Witch and been installed as rulers by Aslan Himself. Duke Dane had been sent up as an emissary from Archenland to greet the new rulers, and had taken his thirteen-year-old daughter Saedra with him.

Saedra grimaced as she remembered how snobby she had been at first.

 _Well, you were awfully spoiled,_ she comforted herself. _You didn't know any better, right?_

Saedra had been downright snooty to the High King Peter. Deep-down she had been jealous of his power as High King, and had expressed it as disdain. Susan and Lucy hadn't been too thrilled with the way Saedra had treated their brother, but they had tolerated her when they had to. The one person with whom Saedra _had_ made a genuine friendship was Edmund. Edmund was simply amused and fascinated by her, and perhaps enjoyed the way she could make Peter turn red with fury. Either way, Edmund was the one she had missed when she left.

But now? Ten years later?

 _They all probably still think I'm a spoiled tomboy!_ she thought with chagrin.

She struggled with the last clasps in the back, wishing she had been able to bring her old nanny Gilda along to help her put on the fancy dress. Gilda had been left behind to manage her dukedom for her, since she knew Saedra's mind more than anyone.

Wisps of sounds started coming in through the windows, and she knew they had arrived. She checked herself in the mirror one more time, applying some last-minute touch-ups. She almost didn't recognize the proper woman in front of her. Her brown hair was perfectly straight, her face was lightly touched with eyeliner and lip balm, and the embroidered red gown pinched her waist and pushed up her chest to gasping heights.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," she said to her reflection, and stepped outside.

* * *

The pier was packed with people. Saedra and Corin carefully walked down the plank, eying all of the creatures that had come to see the new arrivals. Corin's face was glowing with anticipation as he looked at all of the species that he had only heard of. There were Dwarves, Centaurs, Fauns, and Talking Animals of all shapes and sizes waving at them. More than once Corin would point to something to ask what it was, and Saedra would say, "That's a Centaur," or, "That's a Faun."

Saedra felt a lump of nervousness rise up in her throat as she scanned the pier for humans. At first she couldn't see any, but soon two women and a man could be seen walking through the crowd. As they went, the crowd parted for them and bowed reverently. Each of them wore crowns that Saedra recognized, and she waited at the base of the gangplank for them, unsure whether she should meet them or wait. She waited, gripping Corin's hand.

The three stopped in front of her, and she curtseyed to them. "Your Majesties."

The King bowed and the Queens curtseyed.

"We welcome your Ladyship to Narnia," the dark-haired King said with a twinkle in his eye. "It has been far too long, Lady Saedra."

He was tall, much taller than before. His broad chest filled out his emerald tunic, and he was a man in every way.

"Thank you, King Edmund," Saedra said as gracefully as she could. She felt like she was being suffocated...her tight dress, the hot sun that seemed to have become hotter while she was in her cabin, the crush of people around them, and her deep nervousness made her strongly uneasy.

She turned to the two women who had pleasant expressions plastered onto their faces. One was tall, with long black hair and penetrating blue eyes. The other was shorter, with light hair and a heart-shaped face. They had every appearance of looking happy to see her, but she had dealt with royalty long enough to know that there was no joy to spare behind their eyes.

"Queen Susan, Queen Lucy, it is an honour to see you again."

"The honour is ours," Susan said in a honey-smooth voice.

Saedra turned to Corin and introduced the wide-eyed lad to the monarchs, then asked, "I must ask, your Majesties: What has become of the High King and Prince Rabadash?"

As soon as she said it, she inwardly winced. _Was that too obvious? Lune wanted me to be discreet in my seduction of Rabadash...I can't be asking for him right away!_

If they noticed, they gave no clue. "My brother Peter is taking a tour of the Northern Lands," Susan replied silkily. "He sends his regrets, but he won't arrive for a week or so. It is precautionary since we have been having troubles with the Giants."

"Prince Rabadash's travels have been delayed, and he won't be here for a fortnight," Lucy added pleasantly.

"But this gives us a chance to catch up!" Edmund smiled at Saedra.

She tried to smile back, but she was feeling a bit light-headed at the prospect of being around Cair Paravel any longer than necessary. The land was beautiful, but the Queens obviously still did not like her.

"Please, may we go up to the castle? I think Prince Corin may need to rest after the journey," she said, fishing for any excuse to get indoors.

"Of course!" Edmund exclaimed, and rushed to take her arm.

"I do not need a _nap_!" Corin protested, but no one listened.


	2. Putting Aside Prejudices

_D_ _ear Gilda,_

 _I don't even know where to start this letter! The past couple of days have been…Shall we say, I thought coming up to Narnia for the second time would be different. I don't know what I expected, really. Wait, no…I do. We've talked about this. I somehow thought that maybe this time Queen Susan and Queen Lucy would like me. I didn't think they'd still hold it against me how bratty I was last time I was here, though one can hardly blame them._

Saedra sat back in her chair and looked around the spacious guest room she had been granted. Light from the late afternoon sun spilled in through the large windows and the open veranda, and a light breeze twirled the translucent curtains. The air swirled with magic, but Saedra couldn't make herself _happy_ to be in Narnia.

 _I can't complain, really. The Queens have been nothing but gracious. But you know me, Gilda. I can spot feigned niceties a mile away. They try to include me once in a while, but I politely decline since it's painfully obvious that they really don't want or expect me to say 'yes.'_

 _I've little hope that the High King will look past our history and accept me either. Why should he when his sisters who are famed for their graciousness won't?_

 _King Edmund has been my only joy here besides Prince Corin. He has little extra time, what with double the work with the High King gone, but he spends it all with me. It's truly touching, because otherwise I'd be cooped up in my room all day writing letters._

 _Speaking of letters, I received one from King Lune today. He's already itching to know how my relationship with Rabadash is progressing! I get the pleasure of telling him that the Prince won't be around for at least another week!_

Saedra set her quill in the ink and walked out onto the veranda. Her room was on the third floor facing the south, and the whole southern side of Cair Paravel could be seen spread out below her. The ocean was sparkling, and Narnians were moving about their daily business.

Everything around her was so peaceful, so happy. But inside, Saedra was in turmoil. Not only did she desperately want Susan and Lucy to like her—in fact, she had never in her life wanted anyone to like her as much as she did the Gentle and Valiant Queens—but the closer Rabadash's arrival came, the more she questioned her judgment in coming up.

 _I'm not the one for the job,_ she thought _. Lune really should have asked someone else to try to win the Prince's heart. Someone who truly wants—nay, needs—to be married._

Saedra was completely comfortable in her role as Duchess and had little desire to forfeit that role. She had worked hard for it, and to give it up for a man…

 _Remember, you did it for your King,_ she told herself. _It doesn't matter what I really want. I owe him so much, especially after how he supported me when I became Duchess when some of the nobles were questioning whether I was fit for the job._

 _And think! If I marry Rabadash, I'll be able to go to Calormen. Just think of all the sights I'd see there!_

Just then, the door burst open.

"Duchess!" Corin yelped, rushing in through the doorway. "Hide me! King Edmund is chasing me!"

"Whatever is he chasing you for?" Saedra asked as he ducked behind her.

She twisted around to get a good look at him. His hair was tousled, his clothes were messed and ripped in some places, and he sported a nasty bruise under his right eye.

Before he could answer, Edmund appeared in the doorway, stopping short when he saw Saedra. "Pardon the intrusion, my Lady. I have come to have a word with the little Prince."

"Whatever is the matter, your Majesty?" Saedra asked, walking over to greet him. "Why is Prince Corin in such a state?"

"One of the Dwarves jumped me!" Corin declared, still clinging to Saedra from behind. "All I said was that I didn't like hags and werewolves and the like, and that they deserved to be stamped out. Then he got all offended and tried to _murder_ me!"

"It wasn't quite that extreme," Edmund said, walking towards them. "But that is the gist of it."

"Then why are you chasing the Prince instead of going after the Dwarf?" Saedra asked. "I thought it was common opinion that hags and werewolves were unwanted in Narnia."

"That _is_ the case for most Narnians. But the Dwarf—Stamprin is his name—with whom Corin picked a fight disagrees with that idea and has lobbied most fervently for hag rights. His argument is that we should not be prejudiced against a whole race just because 'some of them' supported the White Witch," Edmund explained.

"I can see his point," Saedra said. "I know little of either species, but I can't imagine that every single one supported the Witch."

"To be frank, Lady Saedra, I have never met a hag nor a werewolf that was not on the Witch's side. All they have done is cause problems for the freedom-loving Narnians."

"Exactly!" Corin said triumphantly, coming out from behind the chair. "That's what I said. I said I should like to go hunt for them and knock them all off the face of the earth! I did nothing wrong to be attacked—though I did rather enjoy knocking Stamprin down."

"That's precisely what I wish to speak with your Highness about," Edmund said. "If you didn't notice, Stamprin's in his dotage, and no matter if he starts a fight with you, it's cowardly to tussle with someone of that age. Especially you, Prince. You're high-born and should know better."

"I thought he was rather feisty—" Corin started to argue.

"Prince," Saedra interjected. "Please be respectful of the King and heed his words. We are guests in his home, remember?"

Corin slumped his shoulders and mumbled to Edmund, "I understand, your Majesty."

Edmund put his hand on Corin's shoulder. "I admit I'm on your side here. But Stamprin is one of my brother's most trusted advisors, even though he does have a different opinion on some things. It's unseemly to get into a brawl with a courtier, and it didn't further your cause at all."

Just then, Tumnus the Faun appeared in the doorway.

"Oh, King Edmund! I hadn't expected to find you here too."

"What is it, Good Faun?" Saedra asked.

"I came to relay a message from Queen Lucy. She invites your Ladyship to lunch with her on the eastern terrace this afternoon."

"Thank heavens!" Corin said dramatically, even though the invitation hadn't been for him personally. "I'm starving."

"Thank you, Tumnus," Saedra smiled. "I accept the invitation."

She was interested, for Lucy hadn't personally invited her to anything before; it was always her and Susan together.

"Well, let's go!" Corin said, going over and linking his arm though Tumnus'. Tumnus looked a little flustered, but a bit of delighted pinkness crept onto his cheeks.

As they were leaving, Saedra called after him, "Make sure you wash up before you eat, Prince!"

Edmund and Saedra heard a loud groan from the hallway and laughed.

"May I escort you to lunch, my Lady?" Edmund asked, bowing. "I've already eaten, but I can walk you down there."

"Thank you, Sire." She linked her hand through his arm and they left the room.

"That boy is quite an adventure," Edmund observed. "I'm impressed that he hasn't been in more scrapes!"

She sighed dramatically. "I think King Lune lost his senses when he thought sending Prince Corin up here was a good idea. I don't see how him being around is going to help—" She cut herself short, realizing what she was saying. She had almost said, "help me with Rabadash."

He didn't notice. "I think he's been a fine addition. Susan and Lucy adore him!"

"That they do," she agreed in duller voice. She wished Susan and Lucy would approve of _her_ that way, but apparently she had ruined her chance years back.

Edmund looked at her sideways as they turned a corner. "They like you, my Lady."

"They have a funny way of showing it," she blurted. _That was lady-like, Saedra!_

"They're…they're still getting used to how different you are," Edmund said, grasping for the words. "You've changed a lot. To be honest, we were expecting an older version of your thirteen-year-old self that would prance in and take over!"

Saedra laughed. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm completely serious. Susan even made a comment to that effect right before you came down the plank to greet us."

"Well, perhaps I should be a bit more obnoxious so I don't disappoint them," Saedra said slyly.

Edmund laughed. "Anything but that!"

"If you're sure, your Majesty…"

They had arrived at the doorway to the eastern terrace. Edmund stopped and put his hand on her hand resting on his arm. "Lady Saedra, I have a request to make of you."

"Anything!"

"Please call me Edmund, and none of this 'your Majesty' nonsense."

Saedra blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Completely."

"If you want me to! But then you must call me Saedra."

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure, Saedra," he winked.

"I'm flattered to hear you say so, Edmund," she smiled. The name felt strange but pleasant on her lips.

* * *

 _Lunch could have been worse,_ Saedra thought as she walked through the doorway to the castle gardens. Corin had monopolized the meal, but even without him the meal was more pleasant than any other so far without Edmund there. Saedra appreciated that Lucy was trying to be more accepting of her. She had been friendlier this time without Susan, which was interesting.

Pleased that she had made some progress with Lucy, she was allowing herself to digest the delicious meal by talking a stroll. Tumnus was taking Corin for a ride in a canoe to see the mer-people, so she didn't need to worry about him.

She was in her new favourite place at Cair Paravel: the enclosed garden. For the past couple of days, she would go there whenever she was bored. With all of the exotic flowers and beautiful birds that would alight on the branches of the trees, it was truly a magical place. The stone wall around the garden was low, so Saedra could lean on it and have a great view of the ocean and the East. It reminded her of a similar view of the East she had from the cliffs at Harden.

She stared off towards the East, wondering if the stories about Aslan were true, that he really did come from across the sea, when she was interrupted by a voice casually saying, "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

Startled, Saedra turned and saw that it was a man that had spoken; a very handsome man. He wore the finest clothes that fitted to his tall, strong body. He had light hair, and atop that was a golden crown, revealing him as the High King Peter.

Saedra instantly dropped into a low curtsy. "It is, your Majesty."

He had an air of authority about him that made her feel very small; he had certainly grown up in more ways than one.

When she looked up, she was unnerved by the intensity of his eyes. They had always seemed like they could peer into her soul, which was perhaps why he was such a renowned leader. She had never liked that, but now she didn't find it so unpleasant.

Peter leaned over and rested his elbows on the wall in the same fashion that Saedra had. "The gardens are a great place to meditate. It is so quiet here…you almost feel as if you're in Aslan's country."

Saedra was a little surprised at the way he was acting. Did he already realize who she was and just didn't care enough for courtly manners? He hadn't bowed, and it was the very least someone in his station would do out of respect for a foreign dignitary like her. But they _had_ been mortal enemies last time they'd met, so maybe that changed things.

"How was your journey, Sire?" she asked, trying to feel him out.

He looked at her and smiled. "Exhilarating, necessary, and yet tiring. Thus far the Giants haven't crossed the border, thankfully."

"I'm glad to hear it," Saedra replied. "The King and Queens must be happy to have you back."

"I haven't seen them yet, but I hope so," he grinned, locking eyes with her.

She felt her cheeks warm, and she glanced away.

 _Get a hold of yourself, Saedra! You can't seriously be shy around King Peter of all people, the boy you used to have such loud tiffs with!_

She forced herself to look back at him with as passive an expression as she could manage. He was still watching her. She smiled courteously, and he looked away and blinked several times, perhaps realizing that he was staring.

To cover up the awkwardness that was mounting, she cleared her throat and asked, "Did you just return today, my Lord?"

"This morning," he nodded. "Stamprin told me that they're busy at the moment, so I figured I'd take a walk, and here I am." He studied Saedra again, taking in her teal gown and elegant posture. "I've not seen you here before. Are you a Dryad?"

At first Saedra was at a loss for words, because she had never been compared to a Dryad before and was astonished at the thought. She had met Dryads and was aware of how respected they were in Narnia for their wisdom and beauty. "A Dryad, your Majesty? Certainly not!"

Peter was flabbergasted by how emphatic she was and stood up straight. "I beg your pardon, my Lady. If that was offensive to you…"

"It wasn't offensive in the least, your Majesty. Rather, I'm quite flattered!"

"If I may ask, who are you?" he asked. "I mean, you seem to know who I am…"

"I'm Saedra, your Majesty. Saedra of Archenland. I'm Prince Corin's guardian for his visit here."

"Saedra…Saedra…I once knew a Saedra from Archenland. Is that a common name there?"

"It isn't, your Majesty. My mother was a foreigner, and I'm told she gave me my name. I haven't met another Saedra in my lifetime."

He still couldn't seem to grasp the idea that the Saedra before him was the Saedra he remembered. "Do you have a father?" he pressed further.

"Yes, your Majesty," she smiled. "Most creatures have fathers."

Peter's ears reddened. "Pardon the foolish question, my Lady. I meant, was your father well-known?"

"Well enough. He was Duke Dane of the Harden Province, may Aslan guard his soul, and he travelled a great deal in his younger years." She was being a tad unkind to prolong Peter's agony, but she was enjoying seeing him deal with the living contradiction before his eyes.

His eyes widened. "You're—you're _Saedra_?"

She chuckled and grinned widely. "Yes. I just said that, your Majesty."

Peter looked at her with his mouth agape for a moment, then said, "Forgive me, my Lady! I didn't recognize you!"

"I don't blame your Majesty a bit! Had you not been wearing your crown, I wouldn't have recognized your Majesty either."

He laughed disbelievingly. "This is a marvellous thing! You look—I mean, you're so…" His voice trailed off as he studied her fully through the new lenses.

"Different?" she offered. "Old? Ancient? Decrepit? Deathly?"

" _Accomplished_ was the word I was thinking," he laughed.

"Accomplished?" she asked teasingly. "How could your Majesty judge my accomplishedness by my appearance?"

"One could hardly be so beautiful and not be accomplished in some way, my Lady."

She felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. "Your Majesty has turned into quite a flirt, I see!"

"I was about to say the same for you, my Lady…or should I say, Duchess? It _is_ a nice change, I must say."

Saedra's face felt like it was on fire by now. "It touches me to hear this, oh High King."

"It touches me that it touches _you_ ," he winked.

 _King Peter surely must know his way around the women with the way he flirts!_ she thought.

Just then, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy came running through the shrubbery towards them, beaming happily.

"Stamprin told us as soon as we got out of Court!" Susan gasped, throwing her arms around her older brother. "You're here early!"

Peter laughed and wrapped his arms around his sister. "There was no reason to stay away longer! The Giants have been as peaceful as lambs."

Susan moved back so Edmund and Lucy could greet their brother, noticing Saedra. "I see you've already been acquainted with one of our guests, Peter."

"That I have." Peter smiled at Saedra over Lucy's head.

Susan looked from Peter to Saedra uncomprehendingly. "Do you not realize who it is?"

Peter released Lucy and straightened his clothes nonchalantly. "Why, of course I do. It's Duchess Saedra."

Saedra smiled, amused that she was being talked about as if she were mute. Strangely, she wasn't bothered by Susan or Lucy as much. Peter seemed to accept her, and that was a step in the right direction.

Susan still didn't understand, looking back and forth at her older brother and the Duchess.

"Come now, Su!" Edmund exclaimed. "You didn't think Peter wouldn't recognize an old friend now, did you?"

Susan only mouthed incoherent words, prompting her siblings to laugh at her.

"Come, let's go see if dinner's ready," Peter said. "I'm starving!"

The Four started to walk back towards the castle, arms around each other, but Saedra stayed behind, afraid to intrude upon the family reunion.

Peter stopped and looked back. "Care to join us, Lady Saedra?"

Saedra's insides warmed. "I'd love to."


End file.
